After a 17-year career in various healthcare positions, Alisha Gonzales was ready for a change.

“After the years of COVID-19, it felt like time to try a new route, to figure out what I was truly passionate about and go for it,” she said.

She always knew she wanted to help women and children, and a neighbor suggested she apply at the YWCA as an advocate.

After a few inquiries, she said, “I was finally given the opportunity to interview!” Soon after, she joyfully accepted a job offer, grateful for a journey that, she said, “landed me here at the YWCA with all these amazing people!”

Though happily married to her best friend with whom she shares four children, ages 12 through 17, previous life experiences gave her a heart for struggling families.

ADVOCACY MATTERS
“I believe this work is important because we are helping people in some of their darkest hours; we are helping people when they feel like their world is crumbling.”
It’s important to Alisha to show survivors they are not alone, that they are loved, wanted, and cared about.

“For someone like me, who has been in some really hard situations, it feels like a blessing to help others through the same things, no matter how big or small their needs are.”

Most of all, she said, “I feel like we are stronger together and when we are loving each other through the pain.”

KAREN ANGEL always knew she wanted a job helping people, which is why she studied psychology at Washington State University.

She was hired as a YWCA Advocate partway through her degree, which has included many relevant classes like Violence Toward Women, Behavior Disorders in Children and Adolescents, and Families in Poverty.

“When I first began my job with the YWCA, I was super excited to help women who felt alone.” Karen loved the idea of helping families and guiding survivors to light and hope.
She’s done crisis work responding to sexual assaults at the hospital and handling domestic violence calls. She represents the YWCA at the county protection order clinic and accompanies clients to hearings.

“Working in the shelter for the past two years, I have noticed that some kids come into our shelter in distress and frustrated because of the situation they were living in,” she said. “Of course it’s reflected in their behavior.”

Coursework about poverty, she said, “allowed me to truly see the struggles that low-income families go through and how much it impacts not just the parents but the kids as well. Sometimes those struggles go on for generations.”

THE BEST FEELING
“I love to see when a woman who has been put down or gaslighted finds their purpose again,” Karen said. “Watching them fly from our shelter to their own home – with a job and empowered – is the best feeling in the world.”

Now in her new role, she continues her work in the shelter and also spends half her time as an advocate at Whitman providing free, confidential support to anyone experiencing assault or intimate partner violence.

While these YWCA services can be provided on campus, an assault will not be reported to college officials unless the survivor wishes.

And those times when abuse is reported, Karen offers support throughout the investigation process. She understands how traumatic an assault can be and that it has the potential to disrupt a student’s education.

“What happened to them was not their fault,” Karen said. “I want to encourage them to continue with their careers and move on from an awful experience.”

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) succeed when they center on kids’ needs

WHEN A CHILD is being abused, the No. 1 priority is that child’s safety and well-being.

Children are vulnerable,and they may lack the vocabulary and power to speak for themselves.
In her new role at the YWCA, Leslie Bumgardner, Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Coordinator, is helping make sure those kids have a voice.

“I’m excited about bringing a team together,” Leslie said, “getting everyone who’s committed to what’s best for children around a table regularly.”

The ultimate goal is to have a fully accredited Child Advocacy Center (CAC), a process that will take time.

Meanwhile, Leslie is looking forward to strengthening partnerships between team members.
Those partnerships are vital because children respond best in a protective environment where they feel safe and can tell their stories – just once – to the people who can help stop the abuse and provide needed support. That’s the essence of a CAC.

WHY MDTs MATTER
A key component of the CAC model is the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Leslie has been meeting with Child Protective Service investigators, law enforcement personnel, counselors, advocates, and other expert professionals to prepare for improved collaboration among these entities.

“We can do better for kids when we put them at the center of the process,” Leslie said.
When efforts are not well coordinated, the independent process of each agency involved can lead to unnecessary and repetitive interviews that re-victimize a child, forcing them to relive the trauma over and over.

The CAC model is designed to transform the process. As MDT members gather and share information about a child’s case, they smooth the way for that child to begin healing, receive justice, and experience trust.

ADVOCATING FOR CHILDREN
“Coordinated, child-centered responses have been found to accelerate the healing process for kids. We’re so grateful to everyone who encouraged the YWCA to lead this work,” said Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin.

By next year, YWCA Advocates specially trained in child advocacy will join MDTs collaborating to provide better outcomes and support for children and families.

“Everyone is working hard to do their best for children,” Leslie said, “and I can’t wait to build a team that pulls together all the folks already working passionately for young victims of violence and sexual abuse.”

Friday, June 14, was a day filled with love, memories, and tradition as Brianna and Joaquin celebrated their wedding where Brianna’s grandmother and great-aunt tied the knot more than 50 years earlier.

Brianna’s great-aunt Norma and great-uncle Frank exchanged vows in the YWCA reception room in 1972, and her grandparents, Mary and Merle, followed a few months later, on June 29, 1973.

This connection to her family’s past made the choice of venue particularly special for Brianna.

“When we were trying to find places to have the wedding, we weren’t sure where to start because I don’t belong to a church, and all the venues around here were larger than we needed and so expensive,” Brianna shared. “Then my grandma Mary mentioned the YWCA since she and her sister had gotten married there, so we checked it out and thought it was a great idea.”

BACK IN THE DAY
In the early 1970s before ending domestic violence became a big part of the YWCA mission, the building was a safe, affordable place where young women could rent rooms while they attended college or were starting their careers. The reception room, like today, was used for YWCA programs as well as a variety of other community events.

“My great-aunt Norma’s wedding was in December, and my grandma’s was in June like ours, but at 8 pm.”

Since the building wasn’t yet air conditioned, an evening wedding may have an attempt to beat the heat. “My grandma told me her wedding day was so hot that the cake started to slide,” Brianna recalled with a smile.

Carrying on her family’s tradition was deeply meaningful to Brianna.

“I’m very close to my grandma on my mom’s side of the family,” Brianna said, “so I’m happy I get to share this with her.”

Although some beloved family members were missing, including her great-aunt Norma and grandfather Merle, who both passed away in 2022, their presence was felt.

Brianna’s great-uncle Frank attended the wedding, and her uncle Michael walked her down the aisle.

ENDURING LOVE
The Bahm Torrez wedding at the YWCA wasn’t just a celebration of love between two people but a beautiful testament to enduring family bonds and traditions that span generations.

It felt very cool to continue my family’s YWCA wedding tradition,” Brianna said. “It will always be something interesting I can tell people about our wedding day.”

Need a room for a meeting or party?

Whether you’re planning a simple meeting with snacks or a family reunion with far-flung participants joining by Zoom, the YWCA kitchen and reception room may have what you need.

Learn more about rates and what’s available by calling 509-525-2570 or emailing the office manager, Karla, at kcastillo@ywcaww.org.

Our new Director of Client Services, Lana Bushman, has always found satisfaction in helping people grow, heal and flourish, especially women and children who can’t advocate for themselves.
Being a survivor herself, she said, makes it easier for her to comprehend all that they are going through when dealing with domestic violence (DV) or sexual assault (SA).

IMMEDIATE GOALS
“My goal for the next three months,” said Lana, “is setting up a strong program of support groups for DV and SA survivors.”

In the next six months to a year, she plans awareness campaigns to educate community members, including teens, about DV, also called intimate partner violence (IPV), and to encourage people to promote social change.

WHAT IS DV
DV is a complex concept, she said. It isn’t a matter of anger management. It’s a pattern of behavior that one person uses to gain power and control over the other.

It can result in injury, harm, deprivation, or even death. It may involve physical or sexual assault, but it can also be emotional or psychological, including isolation from friends and family, emotional abuse, or financial control.

Awareness matters. Domestic violence awareness can help identify abuse if it happens to you or someone close to you. Awareness can provide information that can be life saving for victims and their families, such as hotlines, shelters, counseling, and legal aid.

Your YWCA support keeps these services available in our community and makes it possible to increase survivor awareness.

Numbers to know

• One out of five high school students is being sexually and/or physically abused by a dating partner.

• One million women and 371,000 men are being stalked right now.

• More than three women are killed by their partners every day.